“As our network evolves toward 5G it will become even faster and more resilient, will have significantly lower latency, and will allow a huge number of devices to connect simultaneously,” she said.

Over time, it is expected that 5G will gradually drive super-high speed broadband and media, help connect massive numbers of devices, enable the provision of faster, secure, reliable and robust connectivity and help provide ultra-low latency for human machine interaction.

The healthcare – and education – industry in particular was highlighted as a sector that could benefit from the advancements in technology.

Opportunities were explored which include the enablement of doctors to operate in a VR environment using a haptic glove, while students join the class through VR glasses to experience the operation.

Head of Ericsson Ireland John Griffin said that 5G will offer a raft of benefits both for consumers and businesses.

“Through these trials, Vodafone can evaluate 5G technology and its opportunities to provide better services to consumers and businesses prior to the commercial deployment of 5G,” he said.

“In addition, these trials will provide us with insights about what use cases will benefit from 5G in the future.”